Wednesday, August 28, 2013

An Afternoon at the Concord Museum

I'm slowing learning to adapt to life in the Boston suburbs. We've moved into the house that the Merry Husband bought several years before we got married and had rented out when he moved to California. It's an old house by my West Coast standards, built over 100 years ago by a turkey farmer. Over the years, parts of the house have been renovated so that the sleek Modern (granite counters!) now co-exists with the charming Vintage (radiators! original tile!) and the hopelessly Outdated (please tell me that is not my closet).

Everything here seems infused with history. As I write this, I can look out the window at the wooded remains of the now-defunct Middlesex Canal, which connected the port of Boston to the Merrimack River 27 miles away when it was completed in 1803. In the mornings, my running route takes me past a cemetery that looks like a set for Sleepy Hollow and a library that could double for Hogwarts. When I have insomnia, the old bell tower in the town center lets me know just how late (or early) it is.

But our town pales in comparison to the two giants of American history next door, Lexington and Concord, birthplace of the American Revolution. On a recent afternoon, the Merry Husband and I visited the Concord Museum, which had opened its doors for free for the day

Museum Entrance

Here, you can see one of the two lanterns that hung in the belfry of the Old North Church on April 18, 1775, the night of Paul Revere's famous ride.

Concord was also home to a different kind of revolutionary, Ralph Waldo Emerson. In 1930, the contents of Emerson's study were moved to an exact replica of the room inside the museum.

As someone who keeps a book of Emerson's essays on her bedside table, I was especially thrilled to see this part of the exhibit.

The museum also houses other "period rooms", including this mock-up of an early 18th century chamber.

This was a multi-function room, used for dining and
entertaining. When not in use, the dining chairs were pushed
up against the wall.

I should have asked the docent what paint was used in this room. To my eye, the color looked very similar to Farrow & Ball's Breakfast Room Green.

The "Mid 18th Century Chamber" featured a red and white Queen Anne easy chair that I would love to have in my own home.

I have a weakness for Staffordshire figures, so was very interested to see this one of Uncle Tom.

In the 19th Century Parlor, these figurines graced the fireplace mantle.

I enjoyed admiring the museum's architectural details almost as much as the museum's exhibits.

View of the museum across the lawn.

If you find yourself in Concord for a day, you can easily work in a visit to the Emerson House, across the street from the museum.

Louis May Alcott's Orchard House, a must-see for anyone who loves Little Women, is just down the road too. For lunch or dinner, stop by the Village Forge Tavern at the Colonial Inn.

We too would love to visit again. Family went several years ago. Even though kids love history, they were not very enamored but hubs and I were. Keep an open mind and an open heart. Boston will become home.

The Orchard House is a lot of fun to visit. Unfortunately, they do not allow photography inside. If you take the tour though, you can see where her sister May (Amy in the book) drew on her bedroom walls.

Welcome to New England! This is one thing that's always shocked me about the place. Everything here is so old! It seems like very other building was built before the Revolutionary War (I'm exaggerating a bit).

Ha! It does feel that way. So many of the houses have those little date placards on them along with the name of some colonel you feel you somehow should know, but don't. Very excited to see you blogging again!

You are lucky to be living in an area so full of history. I loved all the features you pointed out in the Concord Museum. I have some 19th-century photos of the Emerson house, and I am glad to see that it appears the same, although perhaps a little forlorn-looking these days.--Road to Parnassus

Funny you should say that - it looked strangely quiet to us. Apparently to tour the place, you have to ring the doorbell, and then a docent will show you around. But it didn't appear to us that there were any visitors.

Hi - we're so glad that you had a chance to visit us here at the Concord Museum - glad you enjoyed your visit and hope you come back to see us again soon! We have several new exhibitions this Fall including From the Minute Man to the Lincoln Memorial: The Timeless Sculpture of Daniel Chester French. Also lots of very fun family Holiday Programming so stay in touch,

I love looking at rooms decorated in particular styles. It's particularly interesting to compare the Early- and Mid 18th Century Chambers side-by-side; so easy since you've taken the photos from exactly the same vantage point! (I *love* the green. It reminds me of Virginia Woolf's house, Monk's House, which is decorated in her favourite pea colour throughout).

There are a couple of museums which focus on exactly this in Britain: the Geffrye Museum in east London, a museum specialising in the history of the English domestic interior (somewhere I have been meaning to visit since living in east London ten years ago; now on my before-we-leave-London bucket list!) and St. Fagans in Cardiff, where they have re-built more than forty original buildings from various historical periods in Wales (not far from where Deri's dad now lives, having moved back "home"* after nearly forty years living in England). The oldest is St Teilo's Church, originally built in stages from around 1100 to 1520 and moved stone by stone to St Fagans over 20 years ago. Thank you for reminding me to go! (again).

Thank you also for sharing the photo of Emerson's room! And if you go to LAM's house, please share too! I am definitely a fan.

This is tourism from my kitchen. Brilliant.

*Hence Deri's name. It means Oak Tree in Welsh. His surname, brought over by the Vikings, means Trustworthy. Good eh?

Just catching up with your travels, and relocaton to the Right Coast. Welcome! Loved the piece about the Woburn Library, and this, too. Must high myself Concord-way, as these two look like treasures. Reggie